This invention relates to edge guards of the type which are applied to the trailing edges of swinging closures such as the trailing edges of automobile doors.
A number of applicant's issued patents and pending applications relate to insulated metal edge guards. Examples of these are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.
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as well as in pending patent applications.
Self-retaining insulated metal edge guards are advantageous because of the excellent retention, performance, and appearance characteristics. Such insulated metal edge guards have protective insulation disposed between the points at which the self-retention force is applied to opposite sides of the door edge so as to insulate the metal of the edge guard from the painted metal of the door. They also are advantageous in that they permit the exterior of the edge guard to be exposed to view so as to present a bright metallic appearance.
It may be deemed desirable in certain instances to provide a decorative contrast to selected regions of an edge guard, for example, along the outboard edges of the legs of the edge guard. Thin bands running along these regions lengthwise of the edge guard provide a decorative appearance which is desired in certain instances to provide coordination with the metal of the edge guard and/or with the painted door. The color of these bands may be made to match and/or contrast with the color of the door and/or the metal.
The present invention in one respect is directed to a new and improved method for making a door edge guard of this type. With the present invention, it is unnecessary to stock various laminated coils of metal, each of which contains a particular color lamination. Rather, the procedure contemplates that only a basic metal edge guard be manufactured and that the decorative material be applied to the edge guard from extruded plastic strips. This saves on the manufacturing and inventory costs associated with manufacturing of edge guards.
According to previous practice, insulated edge guards are manufactured by laminating a sheet of plastic material to a coil of metal, slitting the laminated metal into strips of desired width, and then forming the strips into the desired U-shaped cross section through roll-forming procedures. Where various color properties are desired, it was necessary to fabricate numerous coils of material with the different colors required.
With the present invention, as explained above, the insulated metal channel may be formed into the desired configuration and then subsequently when the desired color characteristics, either matching or contrasting, are chosen, they may be imparted to the metal channel by selection from rolls or strips of extruded vinyl which are then assembled to the edge guard. It is, however, possible to assemble these strips in association with the fabrication procedure for fabricating the metal into the desired cross sectional shape if that is desired.
In another respect the present invention relates to the selective coloration of edge guards, be they metal or otherwise, and this also avoids the need to fabricate and stock a large inventory of different colored laminated coils. One embodiment contemplates the fabrication of an entirely non-metallic edge guard having outer coloration imparted by a fluorocarbon plastic film on a non-metallic body of shock-absorbing material.
Other features of the invention will be seen as the description proceeds.
The invention is disclosed in the ensuing description, claims and accompanying drawings. The drawings disclose a preferred embodiment of the invention according to the best mode contemplated at the present time in carrying out the invention.